Top Fifty Guy Movies of the 1990s

What makes a classic guy movie? We don’t think there’s any one definition. It’s a nebulous concept, although certain factors weigh more heavily than others. One might say start with blood, car chases, guts, gun play, explosions, the F-word, and cleavage. But that argument is too simplistic. It’s not all about the action or the women. It can include male bonding or simply creating an aura of cool. And let’s not forget the comedies or science fiction films. But it should be the kind of movie you can watch over and over again with your friends, while remembering the lines or the scenes as you go. And it’s likely that the women in your life don’t share the same passion for that movie. That’ll at least point you in the right direction.

So while we may not be able to define it, like Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart when identifying obscenity, we know it when we see it. Here are the Top 50 guy movies from the 1990s:

Premise: Two very different high school girls accuse a popular teacher of rape, leading to a trial and much more.

Director: John McNaughton

Stars: Matt Dillon, Kevin Bacon, Denise Richards, Neve Campbell

What you’ll Remember: The hotel scene

Reasons it is on the List: Okay, so the plot is far-fetched and you have Kevin Bacon’s bacon, that’s the bad. The good? You can see Neve Campbell and Denise Richards make out, Richards pour champagne on her breasts, and you get Bill Murray tossed in for comedy’s sake. Overall that’s a winner.

Premise: A man is accidentally transported to 1300 A.D., where he must battle an army of the dead and retrieve a book so he can return home.

Director: Sam Raimi

Stars: Bruce Campbell, Embeth Davidtz, Marcus Gilbert

What you’ll Remember: Alright you Primitive Screwheads, listen up! You see this? This… is my boomstick!

Reasons it is on the List: This quasi-horror adventure tale relies more on slapstick and appropriately tongue-in-cheek special effects than blood and gore like the previous Evil Dead entries. You might say its an ode to The Three Stooges that’s littered with one-liners. Hail to the King, Baby!

Reasons it is on the List: There’s a parade of one-liners in this comedy such as: “Excellent!”, “Party On!”, “Schwing!”, “If you’re gonna spew, spew into this”, “Hurl”, and “We’re Not Worthy”. There’s also a trio of endings, rock stars, and the magically babelicious Tia Carrere.

Premise: A journalist and his attorney travel to Vegas to cover a motorcycle race and consume copious amounts of illegal drugs, commit acts of fraud, and generally wreak havoc.

Director: Terry Gilliam

Stars: Johnny Depp, Benicio del Toro, Christina Ricci

What you’ll Remember: We can’t stop here. This is bat country.

Reasons it is on the List: Based on a novel written by Hunter S. Thompson, the entire movie involves someone taking massive amounts of some drug and the consequences. It works thanks to Depp and Gilliam’s blatant uniqueness. Yes the movie is strange, sometimes to the point of insanity. It is a Gilliam movie after all, could you expect otherwise? But the package works, as it comes off as a sophisticated stoner flick.

Reasons it is on the List: The biting screenplay by David Mamet is littered with quotable lines, some less than PG. And the star studded cast includes four Oscar winners and two others who have been nominated, perhaps the greatest acting ensemble ever put before a camera. The movie has no sex, no violence, no car chases, no action, just powerful acting. Go see it!

Premise: A man blows up a downtown department store and forces a detective and local shopkeeper to play a game or else risk more deaths.

Director: John McTiernan

Stars: Bruce Willis, Jeremy Irons, Samuel L. Jackson

What you’ll Remember: Bruce Willis with a billboard in Harlem.

Reasons it is on the List: Die Hard‘s a classic, and while this may not quite live up to the original, it’s packed full of explosions and adds in Samuel L. Jackson. The combination of Jackson and Willis leads to remarkable chemistry, enabling both deep tension and hilarious comic moments.

Premise: A secret agent who has an ordinary home life with his family unaware that he is a spy until they get caught up in a mission.

Director: James Cameron

Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold

What you’ll Remember: Stuff Blowing Up.

Reasons it is on the List: It’s hard not to enjoy a James Cameron movie, but toss in action star Arnold Schwazenegger and a budget larger than the GNP of many small countries and you get big action, big explosions, and a great re-watchable film.

Premise: In south central Los Angeles, two friends hangout and get high after one gets fired on his day off.

Director: F. Gary Gray

Stars: Ice Cube, Chris Tucker, Nia Long

What you’ll Remember: You got knocked the #@!& out!

Reasons it is on the List: This is vintage Chris Tucker, a stoner comedy with many memorable lines, and it’s the kind of movie you can pop in at any time. Even if you know the lines, it’s still funny. There just doesn’t seem to be enough R-Rated comedies around these days.

Premise: A young couple embarks on a crime spree, Bonnie and Clyde style.

Director: Oliver Stone

Stars: Woody Harrelson, Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore

What you’ll Remember: Someone’s head on a stick.

Reasons it is on the List: As Roger Ebert wrote, “Seeing this movie once is not enough. The first time is for the visceral experience, the second time is for the meaning.” It is amongst the most violent American films made, but is meant to be a satire of violence in American media and how criminals can become quasi-celebrities.

Premise: A goof-off and slacker who must go back to school and complete all twelve grades in order to take over his father’s company.

Director: Tamra Davis

Stars: Adam Sandler, Bridgette Wilson, Bradley Whitford

What you’ll Remember: It’s too damn hot for a penguin to be just walkin’ around.

Reasons it is on the List: Adam Sandler’s crowning achievement in a long line of major Hollywood comedies. His first starring role remains his most memorable and also stars a pre-Pete Sampras Bridgette Wilson. This crude, tasteless comedy is no great piece of art, it just brings the laughs.

Premise: A group of graduating friends enlist for a war against an alien race of bugs.

Director: Paul Verhoeven

Stars: Casper Van Dien, Denise Richards, Dina Meyer

What you’ll Remember: The shower scene.

Reasons it is on the List: It’s a Verhoeven movie, so you’re pretty much guaranteed some skin and gratuitous violence. But there’s depth to the movie, as it’s actually a satire on war including visual allusions to propaganda films, and is littered with Nazi symbolism.

Premise: The story of Wyatt Earp and his move down to Tombstone, Arizona.

Director: George P. Cosmatos

Stars: Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott, Bill Paxton

What you’ll Remember: I’m your huckleberry…

Reasons it is on the List: Val Kilmer plays an incredible Doc Holliday, and you get to see a bad-ass Western icon like Wyatt Earp on the big screen shooting bad guys like at the O.K. Corrall. What guy wouldn’t like a grand Western filled with women, gambling, and guns?

Reasons it is on the List: The middle film of the “Mexico Trilogy” or El Mariachi movies, it has some stylish shootout scenes and insane use of guitar cases filled with weapons. Oh, and this movie helped introduce Salma Hayek to the world.

Reasons it is on the List: Burt Reynolds as a porn kingpin? Women posing as porn stars? This has winner written all over it. It’s not just some excuse for showing pretty women either, it’s actually a well written and directed film. And there’s plenty of sex, drugs, and disco to go around.

Premise: A Neo-Nazi racist returns from prison and is expected by his friends to pick up his old life, only to find out that prison changed him.

Director: Tony Kaye

Stars: Edward Norton, Edward Furlong, Beverly D’Angelo

What you’ll Remember: Someone biting a curb.

Reasons it is on the List: A fairly straight forward drama, it relies on a powerful story and the fact that Edward Norton delivers a staggering performance. It deals with gang life, violence, prison, and crime.

Premise: An aging and retired gunslinger takes on one more job years after he hung up his guns.

Director: Clint Eastwood

Stars: Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman

What you’ll Remember: Hackman’s Little Bill Daggett.

Reasons it is on the List: It’s got Clint Eastwood and it’s a great Western. That should be enough. Also, Eastwood and Hackman beat the hell out of each other, a few dudes get shotgunned to death, and it has the Academy stamp of approval as Best Picture.

Premise: Two Catholic Irish-American fraternal twins become vigilantes, set out to rid their home city of crime and evil.

Director: Troy Duffy

Stars: Willem Dafoe, Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus

What you’ll Remember: Willem Dafoe’s late movie wardrobe.

Reasons it is on the List: A violent crime drama, it goes over the top with gratuitously brutal violence, but it works as an action film. It also sprinkles in an occasional chuckle to lighten the mood. Released in 1999 overseas, this movie saw only a minor release in the United States. In fact, the story behind the making of the film is as interesting as the film itself. The documentary Overnight outlines the account about the movie and its writer/director Troy Duffy.

Premise: A disgraced former pro bowler with one hand tries to coach an Amish man to win a prestigious bowling championship.

Director: Bobby and Peter Farrelly

Stars: Woody Harrelson, Randy Quaid, Vanessa Angel, Bill Murray

What you’ll Remember: I didn’t want to be “Munsoned” out in the middle of nowhere.

Reasons it is on the List: Maybe it’s just me, but I enjoy this Farrelly brothers gross out comedy more than their more mainstream hits such as Dumb and Dumber and There’s Something About Mary. Plus, this one features comic idol Bill Murray.

Premise: A taxicab driver and former Special Forces member is enlisted to stop a dark planet from destroying earth.

Director: Luc Besson

Stars: Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman, Milla Jovovich

What you’ll Remember: The Fifth Element’s wardrobe.

Reasons it is on the List: Ignoring Chris Tucker’s annoying character, it’s a pretty action-packed movie, with a small touch of comedy and one scantily clad woman. Also, you’ll find flying cars, spaceships that go at the speed of light, weird creatures, and ugly aliens among the things that are present during this film.

Premise: A Lithuanian captain of a ballistic missile submarine equipped with a revolutionary silent propulsion heads toward the United States with questionable intentions.

Director: John McTiernan

Stars: Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn

What you’ll Remember: One Ping Only.

Reasons it is on the List: The first and best of the Jack Ryan movie franchise, it’s simply a great story. Plus there are Russians involved and exploding submarines, always a good combo. While it’s not an all out action thrill ride, it balances intensity and drama effectively.

Premise: A law student and former poker hot shot meets an old friend who took the fall for him and went to prison years earlier. The friend pulls him back into the poker world, much to his girlfriend’s chagrin.

Director: John Dahl

Stars: Matt Damon, Edward Norton, John Turturro

What you’ll Remember: Teddy KGB.

Reasons it is on the List: It’s a great non-dumbed down poker movie, and what guy doesn’t love poker? Maybe a little before its time, as poker has really surged in popularity this decade. Plus it features roles for nice looking ladies Gretchen Mol and Famke Janssen. I’d bet three stacks of high society on this film.

Reasons it is on the List: Beyond some great action sequences, it’s a compelling story of theft and who’s on whose side. It’s not a flashy action movie, but instead a gritty deadly serious flick. It’s really more of a throwback with its 70s style and European locations.

Premise: A young British man decides to forego heroin and get beyond his life of mischief.

Director: Danny Boyle

Stars: Ewan McGregor, Jonny Lee Miller, Robert Carlyle

What you’ll Remember: An unfortunate bedroom accident by Ewen Bremner.

Reasons it is on the List: A great dark comedy, it juggles parallel character strands and juxtaposes image to fabulous music. Although brilliant in its execution, the movie can be both hilarious and uncomfortable at times, with some truly disturbing scenes.

Premise: A long time bank thief breaks out of prison, only to befriend a federal agent.

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Stars: George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Ving Rhames, Don Cheadle

What you’ll Remember: The trunk scene.

Reasons it is on the List: The impossibly cool George Clooney and the in her prime J-Lo combine for a cool, fun mix. It’s also a great heist story, although some of the criminals involved aren’t the sharpest tools in the shed. The novel and movie later inspired the TV show, Karen Sisco.

Premise: A group of students in the mid 70s have various adventures on the last day of school.

Director: Richard Linklater

Stars: Jason London, Rory Cochrane, Wiley Wiggins

What you’ll Remember: That’s what I love about these high school girls, man. I get older, they stay the same age.

Reasons it is on the List: The large ensemble cast is star-studded, and the movie is a great comedic look at high school and its various experiences. A pretty spot on recreation of 70s life, it has good looking women, drinking, drugs, partying, and hazing.

Reasons it is on the List: The extremely versatile Gary Oldman (he’ll play a pimp on the next movie in this list) is the bad guy here, wreaking havoc as a drug crazed crooked cop. You get to see Natalie Portman train to be a hitman, or cleaner, and you get to see Jean Reno blow things up and shoot people. It’s an action movie with heart.

Reasons it is on the List: This is a Quentin Tarantino movie that is not a Quentin Tarantino film. Written by Tarantino but sold away, it’s a twisted romance where a guy falls in love with a hooker at a Sonny Chiba triple feature. It soon has pimps, cocaine, gun fights, and Brad Pitt with a honey bear bong. Is that not enough? Well it’s also got Elvis.

Reasons it is on the List: A visually stunning film and an under-appreciated gem, this sci-fi thriller is well written and features the beautiful Jennifer Connelly. It’s got the same basic concept as The Matrix, but done in a completely different manner. The atmosphere of the movie is fantastic with its dark scenery and creepy strangers.

Premise: A convenience store clerk gets called in to work on his day off and bemoans his situation.

Director: Kevin Smith

Stars: Brian O’Halloran, Jeff Anderson, Marilyn Ghigliotti

What you’ll Remember: Jay and Silent Bob.

Reasons it is on the List: 37! A movie that cost only $27,575 to make and used no name actors, it relies entirely on intensely clever dialogue. Fortunately it works. Kevin Smith built a career on this movie and its various characters, most importantly Jay and Silent Bob. This low budget flick would spawn a sequel, an animated series, and a number of spin-off movies.

Reasons it is on the List: Relationships from the male point of view, it also has a young Vince Vaughn before he became mainstream, and on the female side Heather Graham. Plus, any movie that can make Wayne Gretzky’s head bleed is okay in my book. This comedy is so money, and it doesn’t even know it.

Premise: A convicted criminal living in a grim post-apocalyptic future is sent back in time to try and stop a deadly virus.

Director: Terry Gilliam

Stars: Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, Brad Pitt

What you’ll Remember: Animals in the streets of Philadelphia.

Reasons it is on the List: Guys generally like science fiction, and this is a perfect piece, dealing with the themes of madness and sanity, combined with a great story and good performances. From the wild mind of Monty Python‘s Terry Gilliam, this twisted tale actually is fairly mainstream for his tastes.

Premise: Four long-time friends lose a large sum of money to a local gangster in a crooked card game and have a few days to come up with money.

Director: Guy Ritchie

Stars: Jason Flemyng, Dexter Fletcher, Nick Moran, Jason Statham

What you’ll Remember: Ass Tickler’s Faggots Fan Club.

Reasons it is on the List: Ritchie comes across as a British poor man’s Quentin Tarantino, finding his niche with crime thrillers that contain a fair amount of comedy. This movie helped launch the careers of Jason Statham and Vinnie Jones, and remains very quotable. Just don’t be thrown off by the thick British accents.

Reasons it is on the List: This comedy has it all: idiosyncratic characters, surreal dream sequences, unconventional dialogue, and an eclectic soundtrack. And it has The Dude. The Coen brothers don’t really go wrong, but this is where they went really right. And it has bowling!

Premise: A disenfranchised Brigadier General holds hostages and VX rockets on Alcatraz to try and get the U.S. government to pay due compensation to the families of marines killed in covert action.

Director: Michael Bay

Stars: Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage, Ed Harris

What you’ll Remember: The car chase through San Francisco.

Reasons it is on the List: Although hated by many, Bay remains a go-to director for making money on action films with his quick cut style. The Rock remains his best effort, even Bay haters will usually like it, combining action, adventure, comedy, Vanessa Marcil, and special effects with a great plot.

Premise: Also marketed as Se7en, two detectives try to stop a serial killer before he finishes his work on the seven deadly sins.

Director: David Fincher

Stars: Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kevin Spacey

What you’ll Remember: The ending.

Reasons it is on the List: A great crime thriller, it’s one of the most complex and disturbing entries in the serial killer genre. There’s not a lot of action, but their is a fair amount of gruesomeness from the murders. The appeal is from the story and how the entire plan plays out.

Premise: The story about a group of Los Angeles police in the 1950s, dealing with corruption and organized crime.

Director: Curtis Hanson

Stars: Guy Pearce, James Cromwell, Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe

What you’ll Remember: Kim Basinger’s Veronica Lake lookalike.

Reasons it is on the List: A perfectly crafted old-school noir thriller, it features great performances, a tad of violence, and hookers cut like movie stars. I give respect to Titanic, which is an achievement in film-making and a Cameron movie, but this should have won Best Picture in 1997.

Premise: The seventeenth film in the James Bond series, and the first to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. This time the bad guys are using a EMP to wipe out computer records and destroy nations electronically.

Reasons it is on the List: It’s Bond. Isn’t that enough? So you know it has awesome cars, sexy woman, great action, and some pithy comebacks and glib remarks. Well not so much on the last one as 006 can attest to. Still, it relaunched the franchise after six years of legal hiatus, and it’s one of the best films in the series. Yeah, Casino Royale was better, but this is still near the top of the list for Bond films.

Premise: The story before and after a botched jewel heist by a group of assembled criminals with Clue-like names.

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Stars: Harvey Keitel, Steve Buscemi, Tim Roth

What you’ll Remember: The ear scene.

Reasons it is on the List: It’s remembered for the violence and mutilation, but it’s the classic dialogue from the Like a Virgin discussion to the Mr. Pink name assignment that keeps me coming back. And I like the little touches, like the fact there’s a box of Fruit Brute clearly visible on screen. Someone remembers Fruit Brute? Awesome.

Reasons it is on the List: A spot on commentary of the corporate workplace and cubical life, it’s something that most office workers can relate to, whether through moving cubicles or wanting to destroy the office machinery. And its extremely hilarious, just ask me about my TPS reports.

Premise: Based on the true story of a Henry Hill, a young aspiring gangster who joins the Mob.

Director: Martin Scorsese

Stars: Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci

What you’ll Remember: What do you mean I’m funny?

Reasons it is on the List: Arguably Scorsese’s greatest work, it shows the inner workings of the mafia, much like the Sopranos tried to tackle years later. It’s so good, it’s in the Godfather‘s ballpark for mob stories. And it has that great tracking shot entering the Copa. Oh? And it once broke the record for most occurrences of the ‘f-word’ in a movie.

Reasons it is on the List: Back when people didn’t think of Mel Gibson as crazy, this war-drama is well made, well-acted, and has some incredible battle scenes that are gory, vicious, and real. Who doesn’t want to see people battle with swords, axes, and arrows? The themes of honor, bravery, and loyalty among others also appeal to many men.

Premise: A pair of cops team together to take down a dangerous Hong Kong Triad.

Director: John Woo

Stars: Chow Yun-Fat and Tony Leung

What you’ll Remember: The hospital shootout.

Reasons it is on the List: John Woo is simply one of the best action directors around, and this is his best work of the 1990s (although not his best work overall, it may be his best pure action film), better than his Hollywood fare like Face/Off or Broken Arrow. The man brought style to action, making Chow Yun Fat an action star. Here, he usually can be seen toothpick in mouth, a gun in each hand, and involved in a stylized gunfight.

Premise: A group of soldiers is assembled to retrieve Private First Class James Francis Ryan after his brothers are killed in action.

Director: Steven Spielberg

Stars: Tom Hanks, Edward Burns, Tom Sizemore, Matt Damon

What you’ll Remember: The D-Day assault on Omaha Beach.

Reasons it is on the List: The bookend present day scenes are a bit sappy, but the main portion of the film is an amazing re-creation of World War II. You see ordinary people thrown into extraordinary circumstances and an ongoing “war is hell” theme, all done in such a way you almost feel like you were there instead of watching a film.

Premise: A killer robot is sent from the future to kill the future leader of the human resistance in a humans vs. robots war.

Director: James Cameron

Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong

What you’ll Remember: The liquid metal T-1000.

Reasons it is on the List: Back when James Cameron actually made movies (don’t make me wait a dozen years for your next film please), it’s the best installment of an action-packed exciting franchise. The original was made on a shoe-string budget, but its success allowed this big budget sequel. And with the extra money Cameron went wild, there are tons of crashes, gunshots, and explosions all over the place. Lesson: two terminators are better than one. The movie was also groundbreaking with its special effects, winning an Academy award. For a seriously in-depth time travel analysis of the Terminator series, check this site out.

Reasons it is on the List: You came for the De Niro-Pacino scenes, but you stayed for the amazing screenplay and execution. A simple cops vs. robbers plot, the movie is an epic with its fascinating storyline and involving characters overseen by a great director. Plus there’s a plethora of recognizable faces, even Natalie Portman and Ashley Judd have bit parts.

Premise: Police interrogate a small time con-man to determine why a ship has burned and bodies litter the water by the docks.

Director: Bryan Singer

Stars: Gabriel Byrne, Chazz Palminteri, Kevin Spacey

What you’ll Remember: Keyser Söze.

Reasons it is on the List: It starts with a seemingly random police lineup and ends with one of better endings in recent cinema. In between is an ever increasing twisted and convoluted story that’s full of comedy, action, suspense, and surprise. And to top it off, it’s well acted.

Premise: A man is imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit and copes with prison life.

Director: Frank Darabont

Stars: Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman

What you’ll Remember: The Ending.

Reasons it is on the List: One of the best films ever made, it doesn’t have the typical aspects of a guy movie. There’s no action and no special effects. Woman are pretty much non-existent in this picture, although there’s a Rita Hayworth poster for scenery. What it does have is a brilliant story that’s superbly acted. And afterwards, you’re glad you watched it.

Reasons it is on the List: Simply an all-time great movie, even for those not into violence, language and adult themes (which are aplenty here). It’s best aspect is a witty screenplay, but it combines with a solid soundtrack to form a host of memorable characters that have influenced movies and pop culture. Tarantino is doing something right, this is his fourth movie he’s helped write on this list.

Premise: A computer programmer comes to the realization that he’s merely living in a simulated world as a battery for robots.

Director: Andy and Larry Wachowski

Stars: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie Anne-Moss

What you’ll Remember: Bullet time.

Reasons it is on the List: The story is used throughout guy movies, man vs. robot. It’s a good premise and it’s done well here, and in unique fashion. Some may feel the sequels hurt the status of the original, but I disagree (and I also liked Reloaded). The lobby scene alone is spectacular, and it upped the ante for cinematic fight scenes as a whole. Extensive gun play and a leather outfit on Carrie Anne-Moss are a bonus.

Premise: An insurance company employee encounters a man on a plane named Tyler Durden, who opens his eyes to the world and changes his life forever.

Director: David Fincher

Stars: Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, Helena Bonham Carter

What you’ll Remember: The first rule of Fight Club is – you do not talk about Fight Club.

Reasons it is on the List: This movie has it all: fighting, women, violence, Meatloaf and his man-tits, a fake Ikea knock-off, subtle bits of humor, strong performances by the stars, and one of the great cinema characters of all time in Tyler Durden. Plus as the poster states, there’s also soap!